Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Wyatt Sicks Aligned Exclusively with Raw
The Wyatt Sicks have become a regular feature on Raw, and that will remain the case moving forward. Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp (via Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) reported the members of the faction "are considered to be RAW talents for right now."
That doesn't come as a big surprise.
WWE has leaned into treating the Wyatt Sicks like chaos agents, having them seemingly disrupt multiple episodes of The Pat McAfee Show in June. Their portrayal on WWE programming has been relatively consistent, though.
The Wyatt Sicks have shared their disconcerting VHS tapes on Raw while going out of their way to zero in on a Raw superstar, Chad Gable.
Sapp's report puts any lingering uncertainty to bed. For now, Gable appears to be the sole source of the Wyatt Sicks' ire. The rest of the Raw roster is left to wonder whether they might be targeted next.
Inside Natalya's Contract Negotiations with WWE
Natalya won't be hitting the wrestling free-agent ranks after all. The two-time women's champion re-signed with WWE, according to multiple reports.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via Wrestling Inc's Sam Palmer) reported on May 31 that Natalya's contract was inching toward its expiration date with no new deal in place.
Sapp reported (via H Jenkins of Ringside News) "that the agreement was finalized in late June, just before her previous contract expired. While she wasn't present at WWE Raw last week, sources indicated the deal had already been secured by then. Since re-signing, she hasn't appeared at any WWE events."
The 42-year-old hasn't been a major player on the main roster across 2024. Even after getting drafted to Raw in April, she has bounced between that show and NXT. Her last in-ring appearance was on the June 4 episode of NXT.
Natalya's continued absence only added to the uncertainty about her future. Given her vast experience in the business, she would've been able to land on her feet at any number of other promotions if she was ready for something new.
Instead, the Queen of Harts will stay right where she has been since 2007.
Tentative SummerSlam Card Reported
WWE has already telegraphed its biggest matches for SummerSlam and now fans may have a better picture for how the Aug. 3 event will shake out. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via WrestleTalk) listed off seven matches that are "on the schedule."
Two of those are locks. Gunther and Nia Jax secured world title shots by virtue of respectively winning the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments in May. As a result, they're on collision courses with Damian Priest and Bayley.
For the main event, a singles bout between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa is the logical next step in Rhodes' long-running feud with The Bloodline. A six-man tag between The Bloodline and the trio of Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens headlined Money in the Bank. Absent the return of Roman Reigns to provide something different, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to basically run that back at SummerSlam.
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre is the biggest wild card.
All signs are pointing toward a confrontation between these two, but it's still unclear whether Punk has been cleared to compete again. His right elbow remained wrapped up when he showed up at Money in the Bank to spoil McIntyre's MITB briefcase cash-in.
Punk has been out of action since January due to a torn triceps. The Straight-Edge Superstar set a recovery timeline of six to eight months, so early August would be right in the middle of that window.
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